Thursday,
April 17, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Tenafly catcher Mara Pattison making the tag at the plate that preserved the Tigers' one-run lead in the bottom of the sixth of a 2-1 win over Hackensack on Wednesday afternoon. |
MAYWOOD – Even though a team of any record can now be considered for entry into the Bergen County Tournament, Tenafly head coach Megan Williams wants her team to get there the old-fashioned way by having a .500 record at the cutoff. With the seeding meeting around the corner and her team sitting a game below that mark, Wednesday's game against Hackensack was one the Tigers had to have. On paper, it looked like Tenafly had a decided advantage against the Comets, who had not won a game all season. But a deeper look showed that the uber-young Hackensack has faced a schedule that includes some of the state's best teams, including reigning state champions IHA and Indian Hills. In short, this was not going to be easy for Tenafly.
Sophomore Megan Zaccario pitched her best game of the season and the few times she did get hit late in the game, her teammates had her back. Kaitlyn May threw out the tying run at the plate to end the sixth inning and Jackie Koles made a nice play at third with the tying run in scoring position to end the game as Tenafly got back to .500 with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over Hackensack at Memorial Field in Maywood.
“Hackensack is a very good team that is way better than their record shows,” said Williams. “We needed to make some pressure plays in pressure moments to survive.”
Tenafly got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning. Ali Arfmann led off with a triple down the right-field line and was brought home on a ground ball to the right side of the infield by Koles to put the Lady Tigers in front, 1-0.
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Hackensack hurler Jaimie Parisi allowed just two hits in taking the hard-luck loss. |
It looked like that one run may be all Zaccario would need as she had command of all of her pitches and both sides of the plate. The sophomore right-hander consistently was ahead in the count and her defense was rock solid behind her. Maraia Hamersma made a nice play in left field on a long drive off the bat of Hackensack's Cassidy Kadonaga in the bottom of the first. Arfmann, a junior shortstop, ranged all the way to the other side of second base to field a ground ball and fire a strike to first to end the fourth inning.
“It is important to have a great defense behind you and I'm lucky to have that,” said Zaccario. “I just had to stay confident and focus on every pitch because all of them are important in a close game. I'm so proud of the way our team played today. We've had some ups and downs this year, but we really wanted this win and we had to earn it on every play.”
Mara Pattison then manufactured a run all by herself in the top of the fourth. She grinded out a long at-bat to work a walk. She then stole second and in her attempt the steal third the throw ended up in left field, allowing Pattison to score to make it 2-0.
Zaccario was on cruise control until the sixth when Danielle McNair drew a walk to lead things off. She came around to score in identical fashion to how Pattison did for Tenafly two innings earlier; stealing second and then third before scoring when the throw went into left field as Hackensack cut the lead to 2-1. Kadonaga then singled up the middle for the Comets first hit and stole second. Before the Tigers could blink, the tying run was in scoring position.
With two outs and Kadonaga on second base, Danielle Brotherton roped a single to right field with Kadonaga heading for the plate as the game's tying run. Kaitlyn May was there to save the day as she fielded the ball cleanly and threw a dead strike to the plate with Pattison applying the tag to end the inning and secure the one-run lead.
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Tenafly's Megan Zaccario allowed just three hits and picked up the win that got Tenafly back to .500 for the season. |
“That was the biggest play of the game, no doubt about it,” said Hackensack head coach Joelle Della Volpe. “We pitched well, we played pretty well defensively, but we didn't hit the ball hard enough and we're still learning how to win. This team is very young and we're taking our lumps, but we're learning as we go. We had a great chance in the sixth, but you have to give credit that they made a great play to cut the runner down at the plate. It's frustrating to lose, but I see the improvement in us. It was a close game and we didn't give it away. We forced to have to make a great play to beat us and they made it.”
The Comets had one last chance when Alli Conlon singled with two outs and went to second on a wild pitch. Allegra Addeo then hit a shot in the hole between shortstop and third, but Koles reacted quickly to her left to field the ball and throw to first for the final out of the game.
Zaccario went the distance for Tenafly (4-4) giving up three hits and one walk with 9 K's and a streak of retiring 12 straight batters from the second through fifth innings. Arfmann had both of the Tigers' hits.
As impressive as Zaccario was, Hackensack sophomore Jaimie Parisi was equally as good in the circle. She allowed just two hits, walked one, and had five K's.
“It's been awhile since we've been in the county tournament and we know we have a chance to get back there,” added Williams. “When they put pressure on us, Megan (Zaccario) didn't panic and we didn't panic in the field either. You need that kind of poise to win these tight games. We have a couple of games coming up against Westwood and Holy Angels that will be very competitive. Those are the games you have to find a way to win. The better team on that day will win and I hope winning the way we did today will carry over into those games.”
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